With the
fan on the AVC Z7U7414001 heatsink spinning at approximately 3800 revolutions per
minute, noise levels are pretty moderate. However if the conditions are met for
full speed operation (5400RPM), the fan can become rather loud. To listen
to this heatsink in operation, be sure to click on the little headphones icon
below and play the sample MP3 file.

FrostyTech Acoustic Sampling
Chamber - Full Speed

Standard Waveform view of a 10 second recording.
Click on the headphones icon to
listen to an MP3 recording of this heatsink
in operation. The fan is rotating at 5400 RPM

FrostyTech Acoustic
Sampling Chamber - Low Speed

Standard Waveform view of a 10 second recording.
Click on the headphones icon to
listen to an MP3 recording of this heatsink
in operation. The fan is rotating at 3800 RPM

Sound Level Measurements: Which Heatsink is
Quietest?

Listening to the actual noise a heatsink makes
allows you to hear what pure numbers alone cannot get across. To further
emphasize FrostyTech's reliance on cold hard facts when evaluating a heatsink,
we also take noise level measurements with a sound level meter.

FrostyTech.com Heatsink
Noise Level MeasurementsNoise level Decibel measurements of each
heatsinks' fan in operation are taken with the aid of a sound level
meter and sound isolating enclosure. The values may be higher than
the mfgr's listed specs, but are directly comparable to one another.
Measurements are made on the dB (A) scale. Information on
Frostytech's test methodology is available
here.

Manufacturer:

Model No.:

*Fan Speed:

Noise Level
(dBA):

Arctic Cooling

Silencer 64 Ultra TC

low

27.6 dB

Quiet

Verax

Quattro 1

30.9 dB

Zalman

CNPS9500 AM2

low

36.0 dB

Gigabyte

NeonCooler 8-BL

42.0 dB

Coolermaster

Hyper48

43.6 dB

Arctic Cooling

Alpine64

43.9 dB

Dynatron

A22

44.5 dB

Zalman

CNPS7000B-CU

high

44.9 dB

Zalman

CNPS7000A-Cu

high

45.2 dB

Zalman

CNPS7000-Cu

high

45.2 dB

Noctua

NH-U12

45.4 dB

Ajigo

MF043-044

45.4 dB

Spire

SP741B3

45.6 dB

Scythe

Shogun

high

45.9 dB

Scythe

Kama SCKK1000

47.5 dB

AVC

Z7U7414001

low

48.1 dB

Spire

SP601B3

48.9 dB

Thermaltake

Silentboost K8

49.7 dB

Zalman

CNPS9500LED (clip parallel)

high

50.3 dB

Gigabyte

3D-Rocket

50.7 dB

Arctic Cooling

Freezer 64 Pro

50.9 dB

Evercool

K802-715

51.5 dB

Scythe

Samurai SCSM1000

high

51.6 dB

nPowertek

NPH K8-1

52.2 dB

Zalman

CNPS9500 AM2

high

53.2 dB

Jetart

JAX801

53.5 dB

Coolermaster

Hyper6

high

54.7 dB

Arctic Cooling

Silencer 64 Ultra TC

high

55.5 dB

Evercool

Magic Cooler

55.5 dB

Dynatron

SK-V24

56.4 dB

Gigabyte

3D Rocket-Pro

high

56.7 dB

Vantec

Mach1

high

56.9 dB

EKL

V8

high

57.5 dB

Noctua

NH-U9

58.4 dB

Alpha

PAL-8150

58.9 dB

Coolermaster

Aquagate Mini

high

59.2 dB

AVC

Z7U3301001

high

59.9 dB

Ajigo

MF064-074

high

60.3 dB

Cooljag

SFO-H

high

60.6 dB

Gigabyte

3D Cooler-Pro

high

62.5 dB

Gigabyte

3D Cooler-Ultra

high

63.0 dB

AVC

Z7U7414001

high

63.0 dB

Titan

TTC-K8ATB/825/SC

63.1 dB

CoolJag

SFO-D(18SC)

64.0 dB

ASUS

Starice

high

67.4 dB

Thermaltake

Polo 735

high

68.0 dB

Thermaltake

Venus 12

high

68.1 dB

Gigabyte

G-Power Pro

high

71.9 dB

Loud

Noise Level
(dBA)

*Unless noted, for
reference heatsinks with variable-speed fans only the 'high speed' (12V)
fan noise measurement is included in the comparison sheet; more detailed
results for the low fan speed (~5V) tests reside in each specific heatsink
review.

The AVC Z7U7414001's 70mm fan becomes very loud (63.0 dBA)
when temperatures rise and fan speed increases to the full 5400RPM. At
its lower fan speed, 3800RPM, noise levels hover around the 48 dBA mark. Since
this is one of AMD's socket AM2 reference heatsinks, the sound level results can
be looked at as the benchmarks for comparing other heatsinks against.

Surface Finish and Flatness

Surface finish is an important factor that we all
look for when holding a new heatsink. Flipping a cooler over to see how well the
base has been machined is a quick way to judge the attention to detail that was
put into making it. The following test involves the use of a Surface Roughness
Comparator, which offers a concise cross section common machine surface
finishes.

The AVC Z7U7414001 heatsink has a surface
roughness of approximately ~16 microinches, which is considered satisfactory.
Next, let's see how this heatsink handles the heat compared to a selection of
other heatsinks!